Lingering

I took Lola for a spin out to the East Pier, but pulled in before we got there, first to visit Seapoint, and mark the silhouettes of swimmers and canoeists in the milky blue-orange water. One woman reminded me of India, the boys and old men I'd seen standing in the river under a large bridge rumbling with heavy traffic: her stillness was like theirs.

Lola was going babanas though, so I drove off, only to stop again, to check out a little fun-park I'd noticed a few days ago, complete with ferris wheel and ghost train. It was closing, so I headed back to the car and finally took Lola for her walk, out the East Pier, onto the limb of a lingering summer twilight. The place was very active, full of dog-walkers, lovers, joggers and laugh-chattering young ones, but also somehow drowsily peaceful, with ample room for other, quieter worlds just over the wall.